Ski Helmets: Complete Buyers Guide
One size most definitely does not fit all when it comes to ski helmets and in this Ski Helmet Buyers Guide we’re going to look at the different types, styles and features you will find in the best ski helmets.
Everyone falls when they are learning to ski of course but skiing and snowboarding are two sports where the better you get, the more serious a fall can be. Once you gain confidence you will naturally go faster and maybe even head off piste. This is where the accidents and falls occur and why ski helmets are so important.
More recently ski helmets have become the new normal – and for good reason. Research by the National Ski Areas Association showed that by wearing a ski helmet – the risk of any head related injury is reduced by whopping 30-50%.
Ski Helmet Construction
Ski helmets are made in loads of different ways and in lots of different materials. How your ski or snowboard helmet is made and what it is made out of will determine what sort of protection (as well as amount of protection) it gives you whilst you are carving down the slopes.
The innards of ski helmets are made of largely the same material, expanded polystyrene foam, for its excellent shock absorption and soft (ish) feel to give you a comfortable fit.
The exterior ski helmet construction can vary massively and whilst we’re not going to discuss every single type of ski helmet construction here, we are going to run over are the three main types, which are:
Injection Molded
Hardshell ABS
Hybrid
The injection molded (or ‘in-mold’) is made of a polycarbonate outer shell which is attached to an internal foam lining during a single molding process.
These construction types are softer and use a ‘crumple’ effect in absorbing medium to lower-impacts. As they’re softer they’re generally made of lighter material and thinner than the other construction methods.
These ski helmets can be made of a number of different materials or composites of them such as polycarbonate, fibreglass or carbon fibre which is attached to the internal layer designed to absorb the shock of impact.
These are different from injection molded helmets as they have a more hardy and stronger outer shell which takes the sting out of high-energy impacts and directs it to the absorbing inner liner.
You can get a mix of both construction methods in hybrid builds. These ski helmets use combinations of the above two build methods in lots of different ways but the overall aim is to get a lighter helmet made out of tougher stuff so you get the best protection for the least amount of weight in your ski helmet.
MIPS - Multi Impact Protection System
MIPS is another safety feature to make sure you keep a look out for. Its a feature which can be built into ski helmets to protect your head from impacts which hit your helmet at an angle rather than head on.
The way it works, is that the ski helmet is built with an additional layer which allows the hard outer shell of the helmet to move.
This means that when an angular impact hits your helmet, the outer shell can move over the interior shock-absorbing layer to distribute the shock over a larger surface area – keeping more of the shock away from your head.
Ski Helmet Measuring and Sizing
Making sure your ski helmet has the perfect fit is absolutely essential to ensuring that it provides you with the protection you need on the slopes.
We have produced a Ski Helmet Measuring and Sizing Guide to help you make sure you get the best fit for your ski helmet.
Ventilation
Ventilation comes in all shapes, sizes and numbers but its a crucial feature to think about when grabbing your next ski or snowboard helmet to make sure you don’t get to the bottom of the mountain a sweaty mess.
When you’re looking at your next ski helmet, be careful of helmets which are first and foremost skating helmets as quite a few of these designs are one full shell with almost 0 ventilation inlets. Ventilation comes in two forms, adjustable… and always open… that’s pretty much it.
Ski Helmet Features
Removable Inner Lining
Just as those honking ski socks need to go straight in the wash after a hard day skiing or boarding, it’s also a good idea to get the interior lining of your ski helmet in there too every now and then!
Some helmets don’t feature removable lining and if you’re only skiing once a year you can probably get away with a thorough wipe down but if you’re skiing often make sure you find a ski helmet with removable lining.
Ear Pads
If your ears get particularly cold you might want to look at ski helmets which come with ear-pads. These can also be removable so you can stick them through the wash and they really do make a difference to the warmth of your ski helmet.
Ear-pads can also come ‘audio enabled’ which means they are built with a cavity in the interior lining which can be accessed and you stick some ski helmet headphones into them and blast out some tunes or set up voice comms with your buddies.
Action Cam Mountable
If you’re looking to get some sweet footage of you conquering that drop… the stunning mountain landscape… or even just of your buddies stacking it.. then have a look at your ski helmet to make sure it has suitable mounting positions for your action cam.
An action cam can pretty much be mounted to any ski helmet however there are two main methods of mounting – adhesives (glue or super strong velcro strips) or straps.
If you don’t want to use adhesive on your shiny new helmet then you’ll need to take a look to make sure there are enough ventilation holes to fit the mounting straps through where you’d like to mount your action cam.
Goggle Compatibility
You’ll always want to consider goggle compatibility for a few different reasons when you’re looking at buying your next ski helmet.
Our view is that it is always necessary to carry a pair of goggles. The weather can change extremely quickly up the mountain and should the snow start really coming down – you’ll struggle to see with sunglasses alone.
If you already have a pair of goggles then take a look at the size of them and make sure there’s plenty of space to fit them – ideally you want them fitting just below the top of your helmet to avoid your forehead getting blasted with cold air. Some brands sell helmet and goggle combos which are designed to fit perfectly together.
A lot of goggles come with anti-slip on the inside of the goggle strap to help them sit nicely on your helmet. This doesn’t always prevent them from slipping up or down though and so to prevent this, some ski helmets have goggle clips at the back of the helmet to secure them in place.
Ski Helmet Safety Standards
Lastly, but extremely importantly, there are two main safety standards related to ski helmets. You should make sure your ski helmet has at least one of them.
CEN or EN 1077A/B
This is the benchmark safety standard throughout the US and EU. Ski helmets with this mark have undergone thorough testing for effectiveness against blunt impact, sharp and pointed object penetration as well as meeting standards for coverage of the helmet, amount of distance between your head and the shell and field of vision.
ASTM F2040
This is a rigorous safety standard for helmets used in ‘nonmotorized recreational snow sports’ and it is issued by the American Society for Testing and Materials. They subject hot, cold and wet helmets to stability testing (roll-off), blunt and sharp impact testing and dynamic strength retention testing.